Readers' letters, April 6 2018

Do court fines end up being paid?

Each week the Mercury publishes the results of cases in the magistrates court and quite often the fines and costs amount to a few hundred pounds.

It would be very interesting to know if these amounts are in fact ever paid in full. If for whatever reason they are not paid what are the consequences?

PETER TENNANT

Yarmouth Road,

Ormesby St Margaret

How has the port benefitted town?

Re Mr McCreadie’s letter in last week’s Mercury in response to mine I agree entirely with his summing up of the financial investment in the Outer Harbour. That investment is not in question.

I refer to my final sentence in my letter which he answered that said “Taking everything into consideration are the Councillors and Port Authority proud of the handling of what was to be the life-line to prosperity”.

Mr McCreadie is highlighting the financial input of blue chip companies, however what I was referring to is are ratepayers getting value for the investment that was made by GYBC and NCC to initiate the construction of the Outer Harbour?

Mr McCreadie is correct to boast of £40m of private investment. Perhaps he can inform the readership exactly how many jobs and benefit long term to the borough financially this private investment has made or will make – or how much is extracted short term for private companies profit?

The return for GYBC/NCC investment was not to line the pockets of private companies but to give value for money to the stakeholders and ratepayers of the borough. It would appear that whatever profit is made it will disappear to private company investors and shareholders.

Maybe he should think back to 2005/6/7 when officers and councillors repeated time and again 1,000 jobs, a ferry service to boost the tourist trade.

Ratepayers invested a great many millions from grants and Inner River, which was not included in the original package sold to stakeholders and ratepayers. Anything at any cost appeared to be GYBC and NCC mind-set.

His comment on the Port Authority being unable build the outer harbour is an injustice to the likes of many people who fought to enable this to happen. His comments about my “negativity” being counterproductive to investment is a puzzle. I want investment in Great Yarmouth in all areas including the port but to the benefit of the community of the borough. Where Mr McCreadie’s remit should be is listening to ratepayers and stakeholders on behalf of GYBC who pay his wages.

JOHN L COOPER

Retired Port Welfare Officer

Honorary Freeman of the Borough

Cliffs are isolated by coastal sand zone

Discussion about the possible effects of aggregate dredging on local coastal erosion should be informed by Crown Estate reports which are readily accessible on the world wide web.

To briefly summarize one of these reports, aggregates are dredged to the East of where sea-bed sediment is sand eroded from the cliffs.

Aggregates occur beneath the sand and are exposed beyond it. They were deposited by an ancient River Yare. (Dredging for aggregates should not be confused with dredging for sand, if that occurs on a significant scale).

Longshore drift and tidal currents move from North to South and so the cliffs are isolated by the sand zone from what happens where aggregates are dredged.

No effects of dredging have been observed on the Eastern shore of Scroby so there should be no assumption that dredging affects the cliffs

One website suggests that ditches formed by dredging will be filled in by sediment dragged from shoreline deposits. But not only are the two zones isolated but observations show that the ditches are not filled in.

J F LAMBERT

Elmgrove Road,

Gorleston

Thank you for supporting show

I would like to extend a big “Thank You” to everyone who helped me with my charity variety show, “Saturday Night at St. Georges” on Saturday, March 24.

It was a delight to see the theatre packed with nearly 200 people from the borough and further afield enjoying local talented artists.

A sincere thank you to all the artists, who gave freely of their time, together with the staff and volunteers at St George’s Theatre. All of whom, through their enthusiasm, contributed to producing a stunning spectacle.

I also wish to express my gratitude to sponsors, donors and audience who contributed to a successful fund raising event. Not forgetting the enormous help given by the Mercury’s publicity.

A total of £2,500 was raised by the event which will be shared equally between Cancer Research UK and Bloodwise

Thank you.

BARRY COLEMAN

Thurne Rise,

Martham

Church performance was moving one

On Good Friday, I watched the choir at St Andrews Parish Church perform Olivet to Calvary by John Henry Maunder. It is a graphic piece but very moving nonetheless. It captures the dark nature of the events of Good Friday.

This very difficult piece of music was very well conducted and sung with great passion and reverence by the choir. They were a credit not only to St Andrews Parish Church but also to their choir master and organist.

At a time when church choirs are in decline around the Country it was wonderful to see a choir with one or two younger members

ALFRED GREY

Email

Thank all you for helping my father

I would like to extend our gratitude to the people who helped my dad after he fell down five steps in Gorleston High Street on Saturday afternoon. An off duty nurse carried out immediate first aid, and other people helped my mum and dad. The kindness of everyone including the paramedics and the staff at the James Paget Hospital is really appreciated. Thank you all concerned. You went above and beyond and we cannot thank you enough.

JANICE LARDNER

Email

Can you help my relatives search?

I am looking for descendants of George William Lindsey/Lindsay and Maria Ellen Robinson Eastick who were married in 1900 in Great Yarmouth.

Their children were George William (died 1988), Hilda Hannah (who married Donald Grimble in 1929 and died in 1987), Catherine Ellen, Joseph James (who migrated to Australia in 1926 and visited Great Yarmouth once in 1973), Alfred Charles and Marjorie E Georgina who were all born between 1899 and 1911 at 33 Tower Street Great Yarmouth and then later at 11 St Lukes Terrace, Cobholm.

Joseph James was my grandfather and he never spoke of any of his family although he did visit them once in 1973. I am trying to track down any living family in the Great Yarmouth area. If you have any information about this family then please contact me at brendan.lindsay@outlook.com Thank you.

BRENDAN LINDSAY

Email

Is Christianity under attack in country?

You have heard of Islamophobia, homophobia but have you heard of Christophobia?

Christians in public life are being treated with ridicule, even threats and violence. To stand for Parliament there is a move to reintroduce “the Test Act” which can be used to exclude committed Christians from holding certain public offices unless they deny aspects of their faith.

Our heritage and freedoms are very much based on the teaching of the word of God, the very first clause of the Magna Carta is “The English Church shall be free” and at the end it states “This freedom we shall observe ourselves, and desire to be observed in good faith by our heirs in perpetuity”.

So, what has changed? Freedom of religion is under assault in this country.

The Crown Prosecution Service through one of their lawyers, claim that quoting the King James Bible is “a criminal matter”.

This lawyer was speaking at the trial in Bristol of two men arrested for preaching. This is nothing more than a modern-day heresy trial, dressed up as a Public school Order Act.

The UK government set up an investigation into religious extremism, and how these religious bodies are integrated into society. It found that various religions including what it calls “newer Christian churches” which undermine integration should be challenged.

Since 1812 there has been a freedom to preach, evangelise, and seek to convert others, these freedoms are part of this nation’s laws as part of freedom of speech.

It was said that a man’s house is his castle, but it seems that it is no longer true. A B&B proprietor talking with a guest, who afterwards went to the police and complained, to which the police acted and arrested both the man and woman, for inappropriate language, they were just chatting the gospel.

In 2013 a Christian woman was not allowed to work with British Airways for wearing a small cross

I ask was not this country called a Christian country?

Political correctness is very often being used as a weapon against Christians and what the Bible says.

What upset me more is the way that Ofsted is using the law against Christian schools. In a few cases singling out Christian pupils asking them about views on sexual orientation and other question relating to their Christian beliefs.

COLIN KING

Common Road

Hemsby

Full story on port is a secret, I say

The Mercury ‘opinions’ columns provide a forum for contributors to express their views on a variety of subjects and allow readers to form conclusions and respond if they wish.

In this context I believe that Mr Cooper has been taken to task for his remarks relating to the Outer Harbour without the full story being considered.

As I understand it the GYBC and NCC transferred valuable assets to a company in anticipation of substantial benefits to the town. In fact this virtually one person company altered the design of the harbour in such a way that it became unusable in certain tidal conditions, installed two large cranes which were never used, failed to employ the local dock workers, closed off the road and brought no useful business to Yarmouth.

The full story is still veiled in secrecy and the ratepayers are unable to find out what really happened. Please do not condemn Mr Cooper for his remarks; they are unlikely to deter any serious inquiries.

Fortunately Peel Ports, with their impressive track record, are now in control and we can look forward to real improvement.